Little Skink's Tail

Description: While Little Skink hunts yummy ants for breakfast, she is suddenly attacked by a crow! But she has a trick to escape, she snaps off her tail, and it keeps on wiggling! Little Skink is happy to be alive, but she misses her bright blue tail. Readers will enjoy pretending with her, trying on tail after tail. The first is too puffy-fluffy, and another too stinky! Then one day Little Skink gets a big surprise and she doesn't have to dream of tails anymore. The "For Creative Minds" section has information on tail adaptations and communications and a mix-and-match tail activity. All Sylvan Dell titles feature free educational resources at www.SylvanDellPublishing.com, including the "For Creative Minds" sections and additional teaching activities. The "For Creative Minds" section features the following activities: Adaptations: Why do animals have tails? Tail Matching Activity for Skink rabbit squirrel deer skunk porcupine owl Mix-n-Match Tail Activity. Learning Magazine's 2009 Teachers' Choice Award, 2009 FPA President's Award for BEST Children's Book and Best Overall Book

Brief description: Janet Halfmann (pronounced Howlf-mun) is the award-winning author of more than thirty fiction and nonfiction children's books, including Home in the Cave, Fur and Feathers, and Little Skink's Tail for Arbordale. Other recent titles include Eggs: 1, 2, 3; Star of the Sea: A Day in the Life of a Starfish; Good Night, Little Sea Otter; Garter Snake at Willow Creek Lane; and Seven Miles to Freedom: The Robert Smalls Story. Janet is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Before becoming a children's author, Janet was a daily newspaper reporter, children's magazine editor, and a creator of coloring and activity books for Golden Books. She is the mother of four and the grandmother of four. When Janet isn't writing, she enjoys gardening, exploring nature, visiting living-history museums, and spending time with her family. She grew up on a farm in Michigan and now lives in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For more information, visit her website: http: //www.janethalfmann.com/

Review Quotes: "This tale has some funny moments, as well as information. Klein's playful watercolors are vibrant and depict a lively forested world. The book could be used in a unit on woodland animals, and the reproducible nature activities in the back make it attractive to teachers. - School Library Journal